Terminal: A Tracking Torchwood Interstitial
by LarielRomeniel
Summary: “We both know he’s been wrong before. Plenty of times. I’m not the idiot he used to call me, and I’m just itching to prove him wrong one more time.” A peek into Rose's universe.


A/N: Lest you think I've forgotten all about Rose in this series, here's a peek in her universe.And lest you think I hate Rose; I don't,any more than Russell T. Davies does. We just like putting her through the mill.

This interstitial falls between Arcs Two and Three of "Tracking Torchwood." For more on the chronology of my Whoniverse, see my profile.

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**Terminal**

**A Tracking Torchwood Interstitial**

**By**

**Lariel Romeniel**

It started with simple tiredness. She chalked it up to long days at Torchwood, investigating strange findings and writing endless reports. It probably didn't help that she was up with her baby sister almost as often as her mum. It had been months since anyone in the Tyler house got a full eight hours of sleep a night, but the women seemed to bear most of the burden.

On her first anniversary at Torchwood, she reported to the medical department for her routine physical, as required for all Institute employees. She endured the poking, the prodding and the pinprick of a blood sample, then went back to her office to work on a particularly vexing problem with a Tellurian blastboat, thinking nothing more of the physical.

Until a week later, when her labs came back. Something wasn't right. She went back to the medical department for more testing. Jackie held her hand as she lay on the exam table and a needle was pushed through her skin to her hipbone for the marrow sample. They both flinched when they heard a crunch of bone as the biopsy was taken.

Three days later, her family gathered to hear the results. Jackie and Mickey sat on either side of her, wrapping their arms around her in support as the oncologist gave his diagnosis. Chronic myelogenous leukemia, he said. She must have been exposed to some strange radiation at Torchwood that affected some of her chromosomes.

Strange radiation. She laughed bitterly. If he only knew. But no one could know. She couldn't risk it.

Her disease was in the early stages and was treatable, said the doctor (and she'd have believed it if he was her Doctor). He gave her a stem cell transplant, using the umbilical cord blood Jackie and Pete had banked when Violet was born, never expecting it could save their older daughter's life.

Except, it didn't.

The leukemia became more virulent. The next step in treatment was a kinase inhibitor. Then myelosuppressive therapy, leukapheresis, interferon. Nothing affected the overproduction of white blood cells in her body. She was still tired, and she began getting frequent headaches and pain on one side.

"It wasn't from Torchwood, you know," Mickey finally said one day while rubbing the back of her neck to try to ease one of her headaches. "It was the TARDIS that changed you. You spent too long with him and it made you sick."

She shook her head. "Couldn't have done. Sarah Jane spent years in the TARDIS and she didn't get sick. She's still living her life in London…our London."

Mickey's face fell. "Forgot about that," he mumbled as he moved around to sit next to her, putting his arm around her. She rested her head against his shoulder, and they sat in silence for a bit. Then she broke the silence. "You know, you're not completely wrong, Mickey."

He looked at her curiously, and she went on, "When we broke open the TARDIS console to save the Doctor. All I remember is gold and singing. The Doctor never told me exactly what happened. But – I think; no, I know that's what changed me."

Mickey thought about it for a moment, then asked, "If that's true, then why didn't you get sick earlier, while we were still in the other dimension?"

She spread her hands helplessly. "I don't know. The oncologist did say some cancers take a long time to show up. But, I think…"

She looked away and fell silent for a moment. Mickey watched her, then prompted, "What do you think?"

She looked back at him. "I think the TARDIS protected me while I was with him. And she would have protected me forever, 'cause I would've stayed with him forever. If we'd never been separated, none of this would have happened." A single tear ran down her cheek. He brushed it away.

"If that's true, then we need to find a way to get you back to the TARDIS. Back to him," he said, no rancor in his tone.

"The Doctor said it couldn't be done," she said with a quavering voice. He smiled wryly.

"We both know he's been wrong before. Plenty of times. I'm not the idiot he used to call me, and I'm just itching to prove him wrong one more time."

That got him the first genuine smile he'd seen from her in a long time. He hugged her and said, "Come on. We've got work to do."

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A/N: Chronic myelogenous leukemia is a real disease, caused by chromosomal abnormalities and diagnosed most easily through bone marrow sampling. Umbilical cord blood banking is one of the newest steps for fighting diseases, and should be strongly considered by all expectant parents. 


End file.
